A couple of days ago we posted about the impending demise of Edge Recumbents. One of their most eagerly anticipated projects was the E2 folding trike. It was a licensed version of a trike originally designed by Evolve. In response to the message board thread about Edge closing, Eric Ball of Evolve revealed that the manufacturing rights have now reverted back to the designers and they intend to get the trike back into production. There will be a reveal at the 2015 Recumbent Cycle-Con event in Ohio.

From Eric Ball’s Message Board Post…

We regret having to announce that unfortunately we have had to terminate our Agreement with CEW.

We have had increasing concerns with their production processes and other matters from early 2014 and their price increase caused us great concern.Things came to a head suddenly when in reply to our request to inspect the manufacturing facility they informed us they had closed the facility and moved the equipment into storage. This means that unfortunately there will be no production versions of our trikes for sale this US summer.

Fortunately our ongoing development have yielded an improved model with improved folding to suit a wider range of customer needs. We were intending this model for the EU market, but we feel it’s benefits will suit both markets.

So, this trike will now be revealed at RCC 2015 for release in the US in spring 2016.

Bill Gillette, the (apparently former) Director of Research and Development at Edge Recumbents just posted this on our message board. I’ll call around and get some more details tomorrow when I hopefully have my voice back.

Sadly, it was a pretty poorly kept secret that the E2 folding trike was plagued by production issues since its inception. This isn’t entirely shocking news.

From Bill Gillette Message Board Post…

“Time and tide wait for no man” …Geoffrey Chaucer

As some may have noticed, the EDGE website is currently down. Though I wanted this to be temporary – to be honest – it is not in my power to predict if or when it will return. Read More »

Have you tried to order a new bike or trike this year and been frustrated by delays and/or vague “estimated delivery” times? If it has any major components made in China or Taiwan, you’re most likely not alone and it’s probably not due to any poor planning on your manufacturer’s part. A major work slow-down and closures brought on by labor disputes between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) that operates roughly 29 West Coast US Ports has wreaked havoc with a number of industrial segments in the US. Unfortunately, the cycling industry is one of the ones getting hit the hardest.

As is often the case with labor disputes, the arguments between the PMA and ILWU center around wages and work hours. An independent arbitrator was brought in earlier this month and for a time, things looked promising. Those negotiations quickly fell apart. Both sides began accusing each other of outright lies and the PMA closed the ports outright this past weekend to avoid giving holiday pay to ILWU workers. Read More »

A few updates for you today! A new 3-Speed gearbox from Efneo, a new Catrike Team Jersey and a very cool rally that I will be attending in Georgia in May!

RIDESOUTH RECUMBENT RALLY AND CONVENTION – This is a very cool event taking place in Flowood, Mississippi May 1st through 4th, 2015. Lots of great rides and great speakers including, Ian Sims from Greenspeed, Mark Colliton from Bacchetta and even… ME! Should be a lot of fun. More info at the Ride South Events Web Site.

EFNEO 3-SPEED GEARBOX – The Efneo gearbox is a very slick new 3-speed bottom bracket replacement that allows your bike or trike to have the equivalent of a 28-40-50T triple crankset without a front derailleur or multiple chainrings. The company is currently raising money on Indiegogo to get it into production.

Looks like RANS isn’t the only recumbent manufacturer making news this week. Jim and Maria Parker have bought out John Tolhurst and now own 100% of the MBB/FWD company. They’ll also be expanding the line-up soon. More info on this at Cruzbike’s web site.

Not many details yet but Randy Schlitter of RANS just posted this on our message board.

I am proud to announce that RANS Bikes has been sold and moving to a new location. I wanted to thank all the good people who post here, and have been loyal customers throughout the years. I have thoroughly enjoyed my career in bike design, manufacture, and especially testing. Through the years I have made many friends, whom I will always cherish, and hope to continue to know and enjoy. No doubt this is a huge change for me personally, as my love of cycling is great, my desire to innovate and design alive and well. I will be mentoring the new owners, so I will become the man behind the curtain for a while. I am looking forward to where RANS Bikes will go, new blood equals new and exciting things. Details about who is the new owner and where to call and email to follow!

UPDATE – Randy updated us with this info…

I would like to introduce you to the new owner: Jerrell Nichols of Montezuma Kansas. Jerrell has been a long time dealer for RANS Bikes and is not only a highly skilled cyclist, mechanic and craftsmen, he is one of the most fair and honest businessmen I have ever dealt with. You can expect prompt, concise and accurate service. I am confident you will discover doing business with Jerrell to be a rewarding experience. What you will enjoy about Jerrell is his experience, enthusiasm and knowledge about our products.

The new RANS Bikes is ready for your business starting February 2. A new web site is under construction, and that should go on line in the next few weeks. Orders will be accepted through phone or email. Online ordering for dealers will be possible with the new web site along with password protected dealer pricing.

About the New Location: Montezuma Kansas is a small rural town of 1000 located 28 miles West of Dodge City. I have been impressed with the level of industry and strong work ethic. This is a place where old fashion values and common sense are alive and well. The new RANS Bikes is located on Highway 56, the main road through town, in a 12,000 square foot warehouse and show room. The location will also feature bike frame fabrication. Jerrell is a master frame builder and has a capable staff to assure quality production of our U.S. made frames. The location features a large show room with most all our current, and some vintage models. If you ever venture out West, make the effort to visit the new location of RANS Bikes, I am confident the visit will be well worth your time.

We have a few little news tidbits for you all. A new trike tandem from the UK and Catrike selling some tee shirts for a very good cause.

NEW CUSTOM TANDEM FROM THE UK – Kentics is a great recumbent and folding bike dealer from the UK. They’ve been doing a lot of custom framework for a few years now and have recently made this recumbent tandem for a customer. They call it the Duplex. It’s made of seamless 4130 Chromoly, fillet brazed and comes with S&S couplers so that the tandem can be broken down. It’s a custom built item and you can get one yourself for £5995. Visit http://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/recumbents/duplex-tandem-tricycle/ for more details.

CATRIKE SELLING NEW TEES FOR A GOOD CAUSE – From our message board… “Royal Blue with the Catrike logo on the front, Catrike on the back and Ride Ataxia on sleeve. Part of the proceeds will be donated to benefit the non-profit Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance in support of their mission to find a cure.” Visit their online store to order one.

When I recently reviewed the NuVinci 360 hub, I got a bit of flack from the company’s fans. They thought that I was a bit too hard on the hub due to its weight. I was called a “weight weenie” and a “gear snob” and one email even claimed that me disapproving of a bike part’s weight meant that I was a fattist of some sort. I didn’t know that word existed outside of a Jimmy Carr joke. On the more reasonable side of the spectrum, I was flooded with comments like, “My trike already weighs 40 pounds. What’s a couple more going to matter?”

It is undeniably true that most recumbent trikes (and even bikes) weigh significantly more than the average upright bicycle. Therefore, it’s easy to think that when you factor in the weight of the rider, a couple of pounds here and there don’t matter. I think this can be a dangerous road to travel down. Read More »

Internally-geared rear hubs (IGH) are currently all the rage in the recumbent market. This is especially true in the trike segment. One of the most popular choices with trike enthusiasts is the NuVinci N360 continuously variable transmission (CVT) hub.

Calling the N360 an “internally geared” hub is actually a bit incorrect. It doesn’t have any actual gears. Instead it uses a a series of ball axles and discs to create a seamless transmission. There is no “click click” between gears and the rider can select an infinite number of ratios over the hubs 360% range. For comparison, a Shimano Alfine or Nexus 8-speed hub has a range of 307%. An Alfine 11 has 409%. Read More »

Lightning Cycle Dynamics is best known for their much beloved and enduring P-38. However, their less-expensive model also has a very loyal following. Much to the relief of those fans, the Phantom II has returned after a brief production hiatus. It’s also hit the ground running with a host of improvements.

The frame is stronger and a bit lighter, the seat has been updated slightly and the tilting steering column is now standard. Wheels and components have also been brought up to date. Read More »

As part of our 15 Year Anniversary Celebration, I thought it was appropriate to take a moment to recognize the efforts of Mr. Larry Varney. No. He’s not dead. I just thought this was as good a time as any to say a few nice words about a man who’s been with us for for over a decade and has made many valuable contributions to the site over the years. And no… He doesn’t know I’m doing this.

I’ve known Larry for a very long time. We’ve shared many long rides together in places all over the world. We’ve spent countless hours in cars together and far too many hotel rooms. We’ve roamed many trade show floors and recumbent rally gathering areas together where he constantly gets recognized more than me. I like to point out that this is because I am just another ruggedly handsome guy and he looks like Santa Claus in ratty bike shorts. He sticks out. Read More »

My first experience with Bern helmets came in October, 2013 when I reviewed their Allston model. It was the multi-sport helmet company’s first foray into the cycling-specific realm. I liked it. A lot. I kept the helmet they sent for review and now my wife and son use them also. I thought Bern and I were best friends. So imagine my surprise when a reader came up to our Cycle-Con booth wearing a Bern cycling helmet I’d never seen before! I was amazed! I was hurt that they didn’t tell me! But mostly, I just wanted to know what it was called so that I could get one.

It turns out that it’s called the Morrison. Bern calls it their “first mountain bike release” but it’s not really that focused on the dirt market. A lot of the design is still pretty similar to the Allston and their multi-sport helmets but it has a largish removable plastic visor and some slightly larger vents. In my opinion, it’s also a lot better looking than Bern’s other offerings. Read More »

It’s time! The votes are all counted and we can now announce our 2014 Bike, Trike and Accessory of the Year Awards!

First of all, thanks to everyone who participated. We got almost twice as many votes this year as we did last year! Normally this is the part where I say the voting was very close but this year it wasn’t. The winners were very clear in all three categories. Read More »

BentRider was born on January 20, 2000. We waited until after Y2K to make sure the world didn’t crack in half, then flipped the switch! We’re positively ancient for a continuously-running web site and we’re quite proud of this milestone. We keep growing every year and there are no signs of stopping yet! We couldn’t have done it without all of you and I’m going to take a couple of weeks to celebrate with you.

Content is a bit thin this time of year since we’re headquartered in the great white north of upstate New York. However, I’ve been busy banking up a lot of goodies for you and starting with our 2014 End of the Year Awards on January, 1st, we’ll be putting out at least one or two items a day for 15 days straight! Some of it will be new product reviews, some of it will be my opinionated ramblings and some of it will be updated content from yesteryear. We hope you enjoy it as much as we’ve enjoyed your patronage over the last decade and a half!

We’re just about to announce our 2014 Trike of the Year and it looks like Azub already has a contender for next year’s prize! In a recent blog post, the Czech company announced updated versions of their T-Tris and TRIcon models with 26″ rear wheel options and a new folding hinge. Watch the video below, then head over to their site for more details.

Jay Cabral is our graphics guy. He’s VERY good at what he does. You can find some of his stuff on http://www.bentrags.com. When I have to ban people from the message board a running joke is about me swinging the ”The Ban Hammer Mjölnir.” Jay made this after a particularly cantankerous recent thread. It is my new favorite thing. That is all. Happy Holidays!

The time is here!!! It’s time to cast your vote for 2014 BentRider Recumbent of the Year! Due to our nomination rules (must be new or majorly revised for 2014 and widely available at the end of the calendar year) the list is a bit short again year but there are a lot of great options! And if I missed one feel free to let me know but PLEASE keep the rules in mind. Learn how to cast your vote below!

PLEASE read this entire article carefully. If you email with questions that are clearly explained in the following article I will not respond. We get A LOT of emails related to this. Read More »

Recumbent trikes are fantastic, but we know that they all have one flaw. They can sometimes be a real pain in the ass to transport in a vehicle. They’re large, cumbersome to carry and often fairly heavy. The weight issue is also exacerbated by many owners’ tendency to heavily (no pun intended) accessorize their steeds. Even folding trikes can sometimes be difficult to carry or fit into a vehicle on a regular basis. These problems become even worse for people with disabilities. This is an especially cruel twist since they need their trikes the most. If you own a van or SUV, Easy Load has come up with an excellent solution.

As the name would indicate, the Easy Load Ramp System (ELRS) is a set of lightweight ramps that either attach to the hitch on your car or use their own folding stand. These ramps make it easy for almost anyone to simply roll their trike in and out of their vehicle. Read More »

Many of us don’t ride at night, so we don’t feel the need to get headlights for our bikes and trikes. This is probably a mistake, because in some situations it’s good to have that added bit of visibility from the front, even in the day. And yes, we understand the need for tail lights, even in the daytime, so we do buy those. But one thing many don’t realize is how important it is to be more visible from the side – especially at this time of year, when we find ourselves riding in the dusk. That’s what led me to look to MonkeyLectric for help. I recently had the good fortune to try out their M204 line. How did it perform? Read on! Read More »